Posted on 03/14/2017 4:00:03 PM PDT by bryan999
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Before the first snow fell, U.S. meteorologists realized there was a good chance the late-winter storm wasn't going to produce giant snow totals in big Northeast cities as predicted.
But they didn't change their forecasts because they said they didn't want to confuse the public.
National Weather Service meteorologists in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington held a conference call Monday afternoon about computer models that dramatically cut predicted snow amounts. They decided to keep the super snowy warnings.
"Out of extreme caution we decided to stick with higher amounts," Greg Carbin, chief of forecast operations at the Weather Prediction Center in suburban Maryland, told The Associated Press. "I actually think in the overall scheme that the actions (by states and cities) taken in advance of the event were exceptional."
On Monday, the weather service predicted 18 to 24 inches of snow in New York City. By late Tuesday afternoon, Central Park was covered with a little more than 7 inches of snow with rain and sleet still falling. Other areas, including upstate New York and Connecticut, received more than a foot and a half of snow. Swaths of Pennsylvania were walloped by 20 to 30 inches of snow
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
That would suggest that I had confidence in them in the first place. I didn’t. I worked outside for a lot of years and I long ago realzed they were batting about .500 on their best days. I listen to the forecast, and then look at the radar and then decide which is more convincing.
CC
Absolutely right. And even for NYC the snow totals were not the whole story. In the city and the Island there was snow, sleet, freezing rain and 35 to 50 mph winds. And even with the significantly lower totals my local school district where my daughter works just decided on a two hour delay because the roads, even the main roads, are icing over as I write this. Maybe for Balt and DC USWS made a bad call but not fot NY, NJ, and Ct.
Having watched weather closely for 66 years, I will give them a bit of a break on the snow. Snow and snow amounts are the most difficult of all weather events to predict.
Nonetheless, I think we are seeing a bit of how the “Deep State” works, even in the National Weather Service.
I dropped a quarter in the snow. I think I know where it is and I'll get it back when it thaws.
Snowflakes predict a half-hearted PC blizzard.
They can’t predict what the weather is going to be tomorrow, but we have to fear climate change a hundred years from now?
You need to pay attention to hurricane season. NHC routinely reports wind speeds 20+ m.p.h. greater than actually measured wind speeds.
As an added bonus, try posting actually measured wind speeds on Free Republic. Weather alarmists will attack you.
I’m in the Poconos with 28 on ground now and 3-5 predicted for tonight and another 3-5 tomorrow.
"As of now, most areas have surpassed 20" with a few places exceeding 30". Most of this has fallen in less than 10 hours! That's an average rate of 2-3" per hour. The snowfall rates this afternoon are historic, with reports of 6-7" per hour. We even had reports of thundersnow in the Mohawk Valley."
And to continue: "As we go forward, the focus will shift to accumulating snow overnight and Wednesday. We think an additional 6-12" could fall between tonight and tomorrow on the back end."
Reminds me of March 14, 1968. Tulsa weather stations predicted a “Dry front” would pass through with no problems.
The problem was we got 14 inches of “dry front” blowing snow, drifts, intense cold. Shut down the Oklahoma-Arkansas area for several weeks.
No one had a 4-WD drive vehicle except the local banker.
Then there was Thanksgiving Day, 1976. Intense cold and wind along with snow.
January 1977. Another bad year for deep blowing snow, and pneumonia.
Now 4 inches of ice and 2 feet of snow in the last 10 years.
Did I mention snows as late as April and May?
Where is that glo-bull warming when you need it!
Then can’t even report the weather. Their egos will not permitt changes in the predictions. SAD.
No, confusing people is saying 24” is coming and ending up with 4. The right thing to do is tell the truth so in the future people will take weather reports seriously.
Same forecasters that predicted a Clintonista win ?
Inconvenience 10 million people assholes
yep I’m just east of Canandaigua. got back from work about 5:30 p.m., got my trusty Honda HS55 out and the wind kept blowing it back into my driveway.. .
hubs is working late on a construction job so no tell when he’ll be home. woodstove is going full blast
Visited Canandaigua many times in years past. We had friends who lived on East Lake Road, and my mother was living in a senior citizen apartment building there prior to her passing in ‘95.
the next county east of us (about 15 minutes away) has a travel ban (a real one) for tonight
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